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Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright wore flag facepaint during pre-game anthem to support the U.S in the World Cup

Dirty Tackle
Via @Cardinals Twitter

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World Cup fever is a very real affliction and St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright had it all over his face before his team played the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. The day after allowing just one run in eight innings of work to get his 10th win of the season, Wainwright showed up at the ballpark with his face painted like an American flag to show his support for the U.S. in their match against Portugal.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"Besides our game its the biggest game of the day," Wainwright said of USA's critical Group G match against Portugal later today. "Biggest game of the year."

The Cardinals' self-proclaimed "goofball," Wainwright found a love for international soccer when, at age 13, he attended a World Cup match in 1994, when the US hosted.

"I almost quit baseball for soccer," he said with a grin.

Though Wainwright told reporters that he wouldn't leave the facepaint on for the game, he decided to leave it for the national anthem because ... America.